Rotary engine.



L. HOLT.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.4, 1909.

Patented Oct. 17, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 1.

LAFAYETTE HOLT, OF BURLINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA.

ROTARY EN GIN E.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 17, 1911.

Application filed December 4, 1909. Serial No. 531,416.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAFAYETTE HOLT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Burlington, in the county of Alamance and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Rotary Engine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improve' ments in rotary engines and its object is to produce a rotary engine wherein the valves are maintained in operative relation to the rotor by steam pressure, while provision is made for the ready reversal of the direction of movement of the rotor about its axis so that the engine is of the reversible type;

In an engine constructed in accordance with the present invention the rotor is provided with one or more abutment-s or bosses bearing against the outer wall of the steam chamber formed in the stator, and the exhaust ports are so located that they may be controlled entirely by the valves or pistons which latter are made to oscillate about an axis parallel with the axis of rotation of the rotor but located to one side of the steam course, the valves straddling the corresponding exhaust ports, and being adapted to rock about their axes on the passage of the abutments or bosses of the rotor, the whole structure being substantially steam tight without the necessity of special pack- The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detail description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which drawings,

Figure 1 is an end elevation of the engine as viewed from the end carrying the revers ing mechanism. Fig. 2 is a section on the line AB of Fig. 4 but showing the rotor in end elevation. Fig. 3 is a section on the line C-D of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section on the line EF of Fig. 1 with parts in. elevation. Figs. 5 and 6 are detail sectional views showing different phases in the operation of the valves.

Referring to the drawings there is shown a base 1 of suitable construction upon which the body of the engine is erected, this body portion being either in part cast with the base or secured thereto in any desired man ner.

The body of the engine is indicated generally at 2 and may be made up of a central portion of cylindrical contour as indlcated in Fig. 3 and of heads 4l-5 spaced from the body portion by cylinders 67 respectively. The several members of the body portion are provided with ears for the passage of bolts or screws 8 by means of which the several parts may be secured together so as to form steam courses 910 in the cylinders 67 while the central portion of the body of the engine is hollowed out to form two chambers 1112 respectively separated by adiametric web 1 8.

The chamber 11 constitutes the steam chamibe-r of the engine and receives steam through a supply pipe 14. The chamber 12 consti the power shaft of the engine and from this shaft power may be taken for useful purposes in any suitable manner. ary to provide the shaft with a pulley ,for the transmission of power to the work It is custom through a suitable belt, but any other means for the purpose may be employed.

Secured to the shaft 16 within each cylinder 6 and 7 there is a ring 17 which may be secured to the shaft by suitable keys 18 ,for rotation therewith.

ries concentric with and exterior thereto an- Each ring 17 carders 6 or 7 and at diametrically opposite points the diameter of the ring'19 is gradually increased until there are formed diametrically opposite abut-ments 21 in the form of bosses with gradually diverging side walls ultimately merging into the periphery of the ring 19, the outer ends of the bosses being of sufiicient width and suitably shaped to bear against the inner wall of the respective cylinder 6 or 7. In practice the engagement of the outer edge of the bosses 21 with the inner wall of the respective cylinder may be made quite steam tight without the necessity of special packing, although the use of packing is not prohibited.

At diametrically opposite points in each cylinder 6 and 7 there are formed pockets 22 opening into the steam course, the rehollow shafts 2627 respectively, the shaft 26 being on one side of the engine and the shaft 27 on the other side thereof and both shafts equally spaced from the axis of rotation of the engine.

Each shaft 2627 is provided where coincident with the chambers 9 and 10 with a longitudinal series of ports 28 communicating with the interior of the shaft and each shaft where traversing the intermedi- 1 ate portion of the body of the engine is provided with series of ports 29 also communicating with the interior of the shaft, the hollow portion of the shaft being suflicient 7 to include all the ports therealong.

The passage for the shaft formed in the intermediate portion of the body of the engine communicates with the steam chamber 11 by means of a port or passage 30 and the ports 29 are so disposed about the shaft that the interior of the shaft is always in communication with the steam chamber 11 through the passage 30 and the ports 29 irrespective of the extent of rotation of the shaft about itslongitudinal' axis, the said shaft being rotatable to a limited extent for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. Each shaft 26-27 is formed at one end with a head or radial flange 31 which, when the engine is assembled is housed by a cap plate 32 made fast to the respective head of the engine, the particular showing of the drawings being the head 5. The other end of the shaft is extended through the head 4 and passes through a plate 33 fast on and exterior to this portion of the head 4.

The outer end of each shaft beyond the head 4 is provided with a diametric bore for the reception of a pin 34 held to the shaft vby a set screw 35 entering the end of Y the shaft.

'shaft 26 or 27. one side a valve 44 within the pocket 22, 'this valve member being in the shape of an arc in cross section with the terminal or leg portions presented toward the periphery 'of the rotor made up of the rings 17 and 19, these terminal portions or legs being enlarged or thickened and rounded and the ;inner face of the valve conforming in curvature throughout its intermediate portion Mounted upon the bearing of the power shaft 16 formed on the head 4 is a sleeve 36 capable of being rocked about such hearing but held from displacement thereon by a set screw 37 entering a suitable groove inthe outer face of the bearing, or other means may be provided forpermitting the rocking of the sleeve without displacing it in the direction of the shaft 16. The sleeve 36 is provided with diametrically opposite radial arms 39 each carrying a pin 40 capable of turning in the arm and this pin terminates in a head or block 41 provided with a diametric passage for the corre sponding rod 34. A suitable handle 42 is made fast to the sleeve 36 so that it may be readily rocked about the longitudinal axis of the shaft 16.

The passage through the extension 23 of each cylinder 6 and 7 provided for the shaft 26 or 27 is enlarged to accommodate a sleeve 43 there surrounding the respective Each sleeve 43 carries on to the curvature of the outer ends of the abutments of the rotor and the terminal portions of the legs curved more sharply toward the rotor than the intermediate por :tion of the valve.

Each sleeve 43 is provided on opposite sides of the point of connection thereto of the valve 44 with a longitudinal series of ports 4546 respectively, and either series of ports 45 or 46 may be made to coincide :with the like series of ports 28 in the hollow shaft 26 or 27 as the case may be.

The disposition of the valves 44 and the rotor within the corresponding steam course is such that when a valve 44 is rocked on its axis one end or leg of the valve will make contact with the. periphery of the rotor while the other end or leg will be housed in the pocket 22 and in this position of the parts one of the other series of ports 45 or 46 will be coincident with the corresponding series of ports 28 in the corresponding shaft 26 or 27.

Extending through the walls of the steam course in each cylinder 6 and 7 at opposite points are ports or passages 47 leading through the web 13 into the exhaust steam The engine has been described as being provided with two steam courses 9 and 10 and has therefore two rotary members each controlled by oppositely disposed valves, all the valves however being mounted on the two shafts 26 and 27.

In order that the power impulses may be substantially continuous the two rotors may have their bases or abutments 21 disposed at right angles one to the other, or otherwise out of phase.

Let it be assumed that the engine is running and the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2. Under these conditions the shaft 16 is rotating counter-cloclnvise as viewed in Fig. 2. The shafts 26 and 27 being always in communication with the steam chamber 11 through the passages 30 and ports 29, the steam will enter the steam course through the ports 45 in the sleeve 43 of the valve at the right hand side of Fig. 2.

There is live steam in the space between the valve 44 011 the right hand side of the structure as shown in Fig. 2 and the boss or abutment 21 approaching the valve at the left hand side of the structure as shown in Fig. 2. The same conditions prevail between the valve on the left hand side of the structure as shown in Fig. 2 and the abutment or boss 21 then approaching the valve on the right hand side of the structure as shown in Fig. 2. The steam pressure thus established forces the respective valves with the leg or edge on the live steam side of the valve tightly against the periphery of the rotor while the other edge or leg is forced into the pocket 22 thus opening the exhaust port 47 to the portion of the steam course between the respective valve and the approaching boss or abutment 21. There is thus established a steam pressure on the like sides of the two abutments of the rotor shown in Fig. 2 while a condition of no pressure is maintained on the other sides of the abutments since these sides are in free communication with the exhaust ports of the engine. Ultimately each abutment reaches a respective valve and that leg of the valve in engagement with the periphery of the rotor rides up the inclined wall of the abutment toward the apex thereof, the valve rocking on the respective hollow shaft 26 or 27 as the case may be but still separating the live steam side of the steam course from the exhaust side thereof, the live steam side then approaching its largest capacity while the exhaust side is nearly obliterated. By the time the abutment 21 leaves the inner periphery of the cylinder in which it is housed and is then within the range of the pocket 22, the exhaust port 47 is covered by such abutment so that no live steam can go out through the exhaust. At

. the same time the abutment enters the valve dicated in Fig. 5.

44 between the two legs thereof, and the valve readily rocks about its axis to permit the passage of the abutment, the position of the parts when the abutment is passing the valve, being shownin Fig. 6 whilethe approach of the abutment to the valve is in- After the abutment has passed the center of the valve the edge of the valve on the steam side rides along the outer face of the abutment and then down the receding side until it again assumes the position shown in Fig. 2. The rotor thus continues its motion under full steam pres sure at all times and without any waste of live steam, the exhaust ports being blanked when the abutments traverse the region of the valves.

When it is desired to reverse the direction of rotation of the engine then the sleeve 36 is rocked on its axis thus causing the simultaneous rocking of the shaft 26 and 27 in a manner to bring the ports 28 into coincidence with the ports 46 of the sleeve 43 of each valve thereby closing the ports 45 and causing a rocking of the valves on their axes by the steam pressure directed against the appropriate face of the valves. The live steam is then directed against the abutments on the faces remote from those first considered and the rotors will move clock-wise instead of counter-clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 4 there are shown two rotors mounted upon one shaft 16 and these rotors may be displaced upon'the shaft by 90 degrees as indicated in Fig. 2 the steam then acting with full force on one rotor when the other rotor is passing the neutral position with the abutments coincident with the valves.

What is claimed is A rotary engine, comprising a casing, having a web disposed to provide sealed, diametrically disposed inlet and exhaust fluid pressure chambers, and a rotor chamber par allel with and separated from said inlet and exhaust chambers, said exhaust chamber being in communication at diametrically opposite points of the rotor chamber and said inlet chamber and rotor chamber having diametrically opposed channels leading from the inlet chamber to the rotor chamber, a hollow tubular valve located for oscillation within each channel for controlling communication between the inlet chamber and the rotor chamber, a rotor mounted for rotation in both directions within the rotor chamber and having diametrically disposed pressure fluid receiving abutments in contact at all times with the peripheral walls of the rotor chamber, an oscillatory valve mounted upon each tubular valve and in contact with the outer surface of the rotor, and actuated by said rotor, said oscillatory valve controlling the flow of pressure fluid to the rotor In testimony that I claim the foregoing chamber, and forming a sealing means duras my oWn, I have hereto aflixed my signaing the rotation of the rotor, and means for ture in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

simultaneously oscillating the tubular valve LAFAYETTE HOLT. to close the same and reverse the direction of Witnesses:

impact of the pressure fluid in the rotor J. T. LAWSON,

chamber to reverse the rotation of said rotor. G. G. PREINKERT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

